Children & Adolescents

As a parent, recognizing that your child faces a problem beyond your ability to solve alone can cause a great deal of anxiety and concern.  Fortunately, child and adolescent psychiatrists have a great deal of experience as well as knowledge regarding the latest medical treatment methodologies available to help parents restore their children’s mental health and reach their overall potential. Dr. Segal has a wealth of experience as the medical director at many renowned psychiatric centers treating children and teenagers as well as collaborating with parents and mental health professionals to achieve these outcomes.

COMMON PROBLEMS TREATED

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Emotional reactivity
  • Self-injurious behaviors
  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Anger issues
  • Obsessions & compulsions
  • Trauma
  • Inattention/hyperactivity
  • Oppositional behaviors
  • School refusal
  • Learning disorders

A COMBINATION OF APPROACHES

After completing a comprehensive evaluation, families are provided with a great deal of information about what the treatment options are to help their child or adolescent.  These interventions may include various modalities of psychotherapy, educational supports, parent coaching, mindfulness activities, and medication among others.  The goal is to put a comprehensive and effective plan in place that is collaborative in nature to help the child or adolescent to function better and feel better over time.

INITIAL EVALUATION

Dr. Segal works with children and their families to treat mood, anxiety, attention related struggles or a host of other psychiatric issues. During the initial evaluation, Dr. Segal begins by meeting with both the child and his or her parents to provide an overview of the evaluation process. Dr. Segal then spends a great deal of time with the child or teenager gathering information about his or her struggles and overall background. Dr. Segal conducts a thorough assessment of all biological, psychological and social factors contributing to current symptoms. This process includes reviewing the intake questionnaire, a 50 minute discussion with the child or teenager, consultation with therapist and/or school staff, and review of any additional documentation such as psychological evaluations, medical records, and labs. Dr. Segal then has a second session where he meets with the patient’s parents to gather essential information and perspectives about the patient. Time is then spent in the second session (if time allows) or in an additional third session with both the child and parents to discuss the findings, diagnoses, and comprehensive treatment plan.

MEDICATION MANAGEMENT

Medication can be an important part of treating psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents.  Dr. Segal takes the responsibility of recommending medication for children and adolescents very seriously. He aims to develop a strong understanding of the symptoms that are affecting his patients through thoughtful dialogue and comprehensive assessment. Dr. Segal incorporates knowledge from published clinical research studies, his wealth of personal clinical experience, and information about the individual patient to determine which medication will be the most effective for a particular child.  Genetic testing may also provide additional data to help in determining the appropriate medication choice for a patient in certain cases. If this is the case for you, Dr. Segal will walk you through the process and will administer the testing in his office as well as explain all of the clinically relevant findings once the results have been obtained. The actual testing process is quite simple as well as pain free and only involves a swab of the cheek or a mouth rinse.

Medication may treat and eliminate impairing symptoms and improve the daily functioning of children and adolescents. Often a course of medication enables children with mood or anxiety problems to manage their emotions and/or behaviors in a healthier manner so they can make better and more frequent use of coping strategies and techniques that are being worked on in therapy.  By taking an appropriate medication at an appropriate dosage, children and adolescents develop a greater capacity to use safe and highly effective coping strategies to regulate emotions and manage stress in a meaningful way.  It may then be quite possible in the future to taper off the medication under the supervision of a psychiatrist and in coordination with a therapist when clinically applicable.

COORDINATION WITH A THERAPIST

Therapy generally plays an essential role in helping children, adolescents and families find lasting solutions to emotional, cognitive, and behavioral struggles.  A therapist can help the child or teenager to learn and utilize safe and effective coping strategies to manage an array of struggles including anxiety, intense self critical thinking, depression, mood swings, and unhealthy behaviors to name a few.  For example, an executive functioning coach can help a child that struggles from problems with attention and focus, learn effective organizational strategies to improve academic performance.  Dr. Segal always works collaboratively with families to identify if and how therapy can be a part of a successful treatment plan.

If your child or adolescent is already seeing a therapist, Dr. Segal will make every effort to communicate directly with the therapist as part of the evaluation process and thereafter as needed for the duration of treatment. Dr. Segal believes that collaboration with outside providers is essential to achieve the goals that are set forth in treatment.

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY

Dr. Segal has openings for child and adolescent individual therapy patients. His therapeutic approach incorporates a blend of cognitive, interpersonal, psychodynamic and supportive psychotherapies. The therapeutic approach is individually tailored to meet the needs of each person and family. Therapy can be short-term with specified outcome measures identified in collaboration with the individual or can be longer term depending on the nature of the underlying struggles and the overall goals for the particular patient.



7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1101
Bethesda, MD 20814

drsegal@bethesdapsychiatryllc.com
301-615-4270

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